The First Goblet or One to Go
by mildetryth
Summary: The first time Remus Lupin has to drink Wolf's Bane Potion. A Marauder's memory, Severus Snape, Albus Dumbledore and a Terrible Summary. Please R & R!


**Disclaimer**: I'm _not_ J.K. Rowling. I think you all figured out _that_ already.

**Author's note**: I put a memory of the Marauders in it, because I'm just sooo fond of those.

* * *

Dumbledore walked through the dark corridors of the cellars of Hogwarts. His silver beard and hair glimmered in the light of the torches and his purple robes rustled as he moved. Outside Severus' rooms he stopped and knocked on the wooden door. "Enter," the Potion's Master's voice sounded.

Dumbledore entered. Severus Snape stood with his back to him, bowed over his black cauldron. "Good evening, Severus."

"I've got it, professor." Severus turned around, to the cupboard. He grabbed a goblet and a ladle and carefully scooped some of the liquid, which smoked with thick smothers, in the goblet. Then he reached it to professor Dumbledore.

But the old man smiling refused. "No, no, thank you, Severus. I'm not the one who has to drink it."

"You can take it to him."

"Yes, but I'm becoming an old man, Severus. It will be hard enough to climb to my own office again and then all the way up to Remus's rooms… Could you bring it to him?"

Severus shook his head. "I don't want to see him. You know we loathe each other."

"Of you I know of course, Severus, it's quite striking. Of him I haven't noticed much."

"He and his little friends tried to kill me!"

"I thought I had explained that matter to you already, Severus. And such an intelligent man as you are should know that werewolves, when they're transformed, have no control over their deeds?"

Severus turned back to his cauldron, knowing this fight wasn't one he could win. "Fine," he said grumpy. "I'll do it. Are you happy now?"

"Yes," Dumbledore smiled. "I am indeed."

With that, he walked out the gloomy office.

* * *

"_Here!" Padfoot threw handfuls of water in the direction of his friends, but he was too far away and even the drops didn't reach them. He stood until his hips in the lake._

"_Nice try, Paddy," James remarked while his fingers slid through Lily's flaming red hair. They lay in the shadow of a tree._

"_Come a bit closer!"_

"_Just how stupid do you think we are?" Moony asked dryly._

"_Humph," Padfoot pouted. "What has happened to you, Jammy? You used to be cool."_

"_I'm still cool!" Prongs said dignified._

"_You're even too chicken to come near the water. Times ago, you would've come and try to drown me."_

_Prongs wanted to stand up, but Lily stopped him. "Don't," she murmured. "I'm just lying well here." _

"_Just a minute, Lily. I'll be right back."_

_She sighed. "Alright. But I'm not coming near you if you're wet."_

"_**I** won't be the one wet."_

_Padfoot smiled as he pulled Prongs head-down._

_Wormtail sighed. "I don't think **anyone** can get some brains in those two."_

"_Just give up," Lily observed. "The teachers have too."_

"_Hey, Moony!" Padfoot shouted, as Prongs angled the seaweed out of his hair. "Join us!"_

"_In addition to you two, Padfoot, I'm not crazy."_

"_Com'on, Remmy," Padfoot begged. He made his infamous puppy-eyes at Remus._

"_No-o, Sirius. I'd like to wear these clothes for the rest of the day."_

"_So? Me too."_

"_I'd like to hold them dry, if you don't mind."_

"_Humph," Padfoot pouted again. "What happened to you, man? You used to be cool."_

"_No, I didn't."_

"_Don't worry, Siry," Prongs grinned. "Lily's going to join us."_

"_No, way, Potter!"_

"_Oh, yes!" And he climbed out the lake and lifted her from the ground._

"_Let go of me, you creep!" she laughed and screamed at the same time. "You're totally wet!"_

"_Oh, I won't be the only one," Prongs chuckled as he let her fall out of his arms, in the lake._

"_Oh!" she shrieked when she stood on her feet again. Her red hair dripped alongside her face and although her lips were set angry, her green, emerald eyes smiled. "You're going to pay for this, Potter!"_

_Remus laughed as she pushed as well Prongs as Padfoot under water and Wormtail happily joined him._

"_They're laughing at us!" Padfoot spit out some water._

"_Well, Paddy, you're all looking even more ridiculous than before," Remus laughed._

"_He's going to pay for that!" Prongs also spit out some water._

"_Let's get him!" Lily cheered. They all came out the lake._

"_Wormtail, help!" Remus shouted, still laughing, as he started to run but was stopped by an invisible wall which had come out of Padfoot's wand._

"_Sorry, Remus," but then they'd get me too," Wormtail smiled._

"_You traitor!"_

_Padfoot and Prongs threw themselves upon him and started kittling him, while Moony giggled –yes, actually giggled- with laughter. "Stop! I give in!" he gasped._

"_No way! In the lake with you!" _

"_Okay," Padfoot chuckled as Moony shook his head so drops flew around. "Now only Peter left."_

"_Oh, no!"_

"_Oh, yes!"_

* * *

Remus looked up as Snape walked into his room without knocking. The Potion's Master was clearly not happy. He looked even darker than normally and more bat-like than ever. Like usual, he wore nothing but black. He also wore, Remus noticed, a goblet in his right hand and its content had a vivid green colour and smoked. "This is for you, Lupin," he snarled. "Drink up. I need to get back to my office."

"Pardon me?" The werewolf wasn't looking healthy, Snape observed. The bags under his eyes were darker and bigger than usual, he saw awfully pale and even his scars seemed to have become clearer. He still wore the same patched robes. He seemed to have been looking in an old photo album, which lay now next to him on the bed. "Severus, if I have learned one thing in my years here, then it is _never_ to except food or drink from anyone, except if you know what it is." He thought for a moment back to one of the Marauders' Halloween jokes; Sirius had found a potion which made your head change in a pumpkin. They had put it in everyone's drinks, so suddenly nobody could see where (s)he was going anymore. For themselves, James and Remus had come up with the idea of the Bubble-Head charm, with the Appearance of a pumpkin. They had been caught, but it _had_ been funny.

Snape snorted. For one reason or another, Remus thought he was thinking of the same thing. What had happened with him?... oh, yes, Sirius had placed as surprise for the other Marauders an incantation on the Slytherins, so _their_ pumpkins saw pimple. Sirius had always been sorry that he hadn't been able to sneak some of the potion in the teachers' drinks... Remus smiled in thoughts, but then froze.

He shouldn't be thinking like that about Si- Black.

He shouldn't be thinking friendly.

"It's Wolf's bane Potion, Lupin," Snape sneered. "As I am sure you haven't heard about it before, let me explain. It's a potion that makes you… let's say, become _tame_," he grinned nasty, "at full moon."

"How do you mean?"

"You still don't grasp it? Why am I not surprised… You'll transform, but you will still be able to think –as far as possible with your brains, of course- and feel like a human. You can _control_-" the nasty grin again, "-your actions."

"And you make that for me, out of your own free will?" Remus asked, an eyebrow raised.

"No. Professor Dumbledore asked me to."

"I see." He stared at the goblet Snape had put on the table. There still came smoke out of it. James wouldn't have trusted Snape.

"Afraid I'm trying to poison you, Lupin?"

"A bit, yes."

"Oh, I wouldn't do it like this. I would sneak-" he made a small hand move, like he turned a little bottle upside down for a brief moment, "-it in your pumpkin juice."

"I'm very reassured."

Snape watched him for a moment, his dark eyes glimmering. "You enjoy it, don't you?"

"Sorry? I didn't quite grasp that."

"Being a beast. The transformation. The ability to kill people. Admit it." Snape said, taking a step closer.

Remus stared at him. "You mean that if I drink this, I won't… feel the… wolf anymore?"

"Indeed. No hunger for blood anymore."

Remus suddenly took the goblet and drank it all. After that, he pulled a face. "I suppose it doesn't work with sugar?"

"Not at all. Every month, Lupin."

"Thanks, Severus."

"I didn't do it because of you."

"I know."

Snape left the office and Remus stared back at the photo album. The photo, of them all wet, just climbed out of the lake, was taken by Lily's friend, Allegria. They all smiled, Sirius his movie star- showing his white teeth-grin, Lily her usual gentle smile, James grinning as broadly as ever, Peter laughing still with their (including his own) clothes, and he himself, forever seventeen, smiling calm and happy. His finger slowly crossed lines through the faces.

_James…Lily… Peter…and for me, Sirius is also dead._ He stared sadly at his own smiling face. _Only one to go…_

* * *

_Two years and ten months later_

Peter walked away from Bellatrix Lestrange's bolstering. Like she had so much to be proud of. She did manage to kill someone, but they still didn't have the prophecy.

In a dusty room, totally alone, Peter got out of his pocket, a crumpled picture. They all waved to him, smiling and happy. They would never be together again… He had never been so brave like them…

He couldn't believe Sirius was dead. He was sure Lestrange had been lucky, for Sirius had always such wonderful reflexes. He would have never let them catch him so easily.

He slowly crossed with his finger through their faces.

_James… Lily… Sirius now too… And me, I'm as good as dead. I'm not a marauder anymore. _He looked at their happy, smiling faces. Sirius his movie star- showing his white teeth-grin, Lily her usual gentle smile, James grinning as broadly as ever, he himself, laughing still with their (including his own) clothes, and Remus, forever seventeen, smiling calm and happy. But he had seen Remus and Sirius two years ago. They didn't look seventeen now…

He stared at his old friend's face, forever looking happy. _Only one to go, Remus,_ he thought sadly. _Only one to go…_

* * *

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